Yukina
Yukina (雪菜) is an Ice Maiden, a member of an all-female race of Ice Apparitions. She is Kuwabara's love interest, as well as Hiei's sister. Her seiyū is Yuri Shiratori in the Japanese version. She is voiced by Jessica Dismuke in the Funimation dub of the series and Veronica Taylor in the Manga Corps dub of the Movie. Appearance Yukina has long mint-green hair that is kept in a low ponytail, tied in the back with a fancy red ribbon. She is almost always seen wearing a long-sleeved, light blue kimono with a darker blue obi that's tied in the back. The red 'lining' seen around her collar indicates she has a Hiyoki (an under-garment) on underneath it. Her appearance does not change until the final episode of the anime. Her long hair is now braided, and she wears a pink dress with a brown cardigan sweater. Personality Yukina, unlike her family of female ice apparitions, is very kind-hearted and polite, albeit a bit naive. Because of her upbringing, she is largely oblivious to Kuwabara's romantic feelings towards her for most of the series, finding his flirting to be humorous. Despite this, she cares deeply for him and enjoys his company. Yukina is the only main character (aside from his sister) who refers to him by his given name, Kazuma. Yukina also appears very curious about the identity of her brother and is determined to find him,though in the end, she never finds out who he is. She is very a caring person and loves nature, the most well known (and tragic) example of this is when the Elder Tuguro brother constricts and kills two birds in his hand, resulting in her breaking into tears. Despite being taken prisoner and used as a "gem producer" by Torukane, she didn't allow it to affect her opinion of humans, remarking (to Kuwabara shortly after being freed) that she enjoys being around them. Over time, Yukina distanced herself from her people. She felt that the Ice Maidens had grown cynical and emotionless as a race, remarking that their hearts were as 'frozen' as their homeland. In the end of the anime, Yukina returns to the ice glazier, never finding her brother, but in the manga she figures it out on her own. Character Relationships *'Hiei - Unknown Twin Brother' *'Hina - Mother (deceased)' *'Kuwabara - secret admirer' *'Shizuru - Friend' *'Keiko - Friend' *'Botan - Friend' History Yukina's mother, Hina, broke the rules of their people by conceiving an heir through her relationship with her lover, a male fire demon. Hina gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The boy was taken from her, since he was viewed as being cursed. In order to save Yukina, Ruri was forced to throw Hiei off a cliff. Hina later committed suicide, and her best friend, Ruri, raised Yukina. At the right time, Yukina was told about her twin brother, and she left the ice world to look for him. When Yukina was kidnapped by Torukane Hiei, Spirit World quickly dispatched Yusuke and Botan to rescue her. Kuwabara, convinced that she was his destined soulmate, all went along to save her. Hiei arrived and stopped Torukane from escaping with her, but chose to not reveal that he was her brother. Synopsis Spirit Detective Saga While trying to find her brother, Yukina was captured by the corrupt human Tarukane, who planned to become rich by forcing her to shed tears- as the tears of Ice Maidens instantly solidify into priceless gems called hiruseki stones. Yusuke and his friends hear word of this and fight several guards in order to save her. At first glance, Kuwabara instantly falls in love (declaring them linked by the "red pinky string of fate"), and Hiei notices that she is indeed his sister. Tarukane was in league with Toguro, who would become one of their greatest enemies. Dark Tournament Saga Yukina shows up late in the Dark Tournament (during the third round), where she quickly befriends Shizuru Kuwabara, Botan, and Keiko (along with Atsuko in the manga). She reveals that she's there to cheer on Kuwabara and Yusuke, and hopes that she can help them by using the healing abilities that she'd learned. At the same time, Kuwabara was on the verge of loosing his fight (and likely get killed) due to being badly injured in the previous round. Yukina arrives in the stadium and calls out to him. Botan believes that having Yukina there will help Kuwabara in the fight. This is proven when he battles and the "power of love" saves him, giving him a much needed power boost and restoring his already depleted spirit energy. with his powers restored, he's able to win his match- allowing the team to advance to the semi-finals. Yukina remarks after the match that Kuwabara is healing much faster than her powers are capable of, which Kuwabara attributes to the 'bond' between them. In his fight with Elder Toguro, Yukina was his main and only staunch supporter, believing that he would achieve victory even as his own sister believed that he wouldn't survive the fight. Though she is oblivious to Kuwabara's feelings for her, she sheds multiple hiruseki stone's when he is stabbed (and appears to die) by Younger Toguro during his fight with Yusuke Three Kings Saga Yukina, like many of the supporting characters in the series, does not appear in this saga until the final episode, but she does appear in flashbacks of Hiei, in which she gives him her tear stone and tells him to give it to her brother if she finds him (while accidentally calling him brother in the process) In the anime, she is seen living with Genkai and helping maintain the compound. In the manga, due to Genkai's death, she is seen living within the Kuwabara family household, much to the shock and delight of Kuwabara. The two of them are seen approaching Yusuke's ramen stand as well as playing with them on the beach in the finale. In the OVA, Hiei attempts to return his mother's tear to her, claiming that he learned that her brother is dead, but she tells him to keep it, heavily implying that she has finally learned and accepted that Hiei is the long lost brother she had been search for so long. Techniques/Moves *'Ice Manipulation': While being held captive by Tarukune, she froze the room whenever he or his men came to retrieve the valuable Crystal Tears she produced. *'Crystal Tears '(氷涙石, Hi Rui Seki, translated as Ice Tear Gem): Being an ice apparition, Yukina's tears harden into dense crystallized beads that are coveted by many demons. That's because most Ice Maidens, being as cold-hearted as they are, only cry one tear just after having a child via parthenogenesis once a century. Called Hiruseki Stones in the English dub. *'Accelerated Healing' (治癒能力, Chiyu Nōryoku, translated as Healing Talent): Like Botan, and to a greater extent, Genkai, Yukina possesses slight healing abilities. This is made apparent when she uses them to heal Kuwabara, both after his and Yusuke's fight with the Toguro brothers, and later on in the Dark Tournament. For reasons that are unexplained, except by Kuwabara who believes it to be the "power of love", her powers have a seemingly-greater effect on Kuwabara, though Yukina herself is unable to explain it. Yukina also seems to be able to regress into a state where she can't feel physical pain (though she may merely have become resistant due to years of torture by fire talismans), and even heals instantly when Toguro leaves a superficial cut on her cheek. References Category:Characters Category:Demons